Wilson Unveils Proposals To Reform Boston Schools

Laval S. Wilson, superintendent of schools in Boston, last week
released the major portion of a long-awaited reform plan that calls for
significant changes in the city's school system.

Mr. Wilson recommended scrapping the district's student-assignment
system and replacing it with a process that would give parents a voice
in choosing their children's schools. It would represent the most
substantial alteration of Boston's school-desegregation plan since it
was imposed by a court order in 1975.

The superintendent also urged, among other recommendations, that the
district provide additional instruction for students at risk of
failure, adopt higher promotion and graduation standards, and create
special "crisis-intervention teams'' for schools with safety
problems.

"The mission of the Boston public schools is to provide all students
with an excellent basic education and the chance to expand their
abilities and talents to the fullest,'' Mr. Wilson wrote in the
introduction to the report outlining his proposals. "Whether we fulfill
this mission depends on the quality of each school.''

"I see no easy way to do this,'' Mr. Wilson added at a press
conference, "but, clearly, for young people to be successful, they have
to be literate.''

16-Point Plan

The recommendations cover the major part of a comprehensive,
16-point plan for improving Boston's schools. In March, Mr. Wilson
released the first parts of that plan: proposals for two pilot
early-learning centers and a school-based health clinic that would
prescribe, but not dispense, contraceptives.

Three remaining pieces of his plan--proposals dealing with parent
and community support; counseling and guidance; and special, bilingual,
and vocational education--are expected to be released later this
month.

The total package must be approved by the Boston School Committee,
which has not yet scheduled a vote. Because the school department is
required to submit its budget to the mayor by June 10, some observers
have suggested that the proposals have come too late to be implemented
this fall. The proposed reforms would cost $6.4 million to implement
this fall, according to Mr. Wilson.

In addition, Mr. Wilson has proposed $48 million in spending for
building repairs, which he said could be financed through a bond
issue.

Reaction Mixed

Mr. Wilson's proposals come at a time when a growing number of
Boston officials are advocating fundamental changes in the city's
schools, which have been plagued by low test scores and high dropout
rates.

Last month, for example, a coalition of civic and political leaders,
including Mayor Raymond L. Flynn, urged an overhaul in the
school-governance structure to improve management and accountability.
(See Education Week, April 22, 1987.)

Reaction last week to Mr. Wilson's plan was mixed. "It seems to have
substance, but it's a lot of fluff,'' said Richard Stutman, a spokesman
for the Boston Teachers Union.

Mr. Stutman said the proposals to raise academic standards may not
improve student performance, and could result in a higher dropout
rate.

Ellen Guiney, director of the Citywide Education Coalition, a
citizens' watchdog group, said her group planned to study the proposals
to determine whether they would result in greater decisionmaking for
teachers.

"Boston has had lots of reforms over the past few years,'' she said,
adding that the experience "has taught us that the best-laid plans will
not work if the centrality of the role of teachers is not
recognized.''

Ms. Guiney added that the coalition strongly favors the
student-assignment plan, which closely follows a recommendation made by
a task force Mr. Wilson appointed.

Under the plan, parents of students would be able to rank their
preferences from among several schools, although they would not be
guaranteed their first choice. Each school's assignments would have to
remain within 10 percentage points of current racial proportions.

"That proposal will indeed increase choice for parents,'' Ms. Guiney
said. "It will indeed, if properly implemented, create competition for
schools. That is the ultimate accountability.''

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